Baseball players union chief Donald Fehr, left, smiles as he rides a subway back to his New York office from federal court Friday, March 31, 1995. Baseball players ended their 232-day strike today when a federal judge ruled against the owners. Exactly when they would return, however, was still uncertain. (AP Photo/Joe Tabacca) less

Baseball players union chief Donald Fehr, left, smiles as he rides a subway back to his New York office from federal court Friday, March 31, 1995. Baseball players ended their 232-day strike today when a ... more

Photo: Joe Tabacca, AP

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Donald Fehr, Major League Baseball Players Association Executive Director, purses his lips as he announces Thursday July 28, 1994 at a New York news conference, the union's executive board has unanimously authorized a strike. The work stoppage is scheduled for Aug. 12, 1994 unless an agreement with the owners is reached before then. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) less

Donald Fehr, Major League Baseball Players Association Executive Director, purses his lips as he announces Thursday July 28, 1994 at a New York news conference, the union's executive board has unanimously ... more

Photo: Richard Drew, AP

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Donald Fehr, right, executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association, testifies on professional sports drug testing policies before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee on Capitol Hill Wednesday, March 10, 2004. At left is Major League Baseball Commissioner Allan "Bud" Selig. (AP Photo/Dennis Cook)Donald Fehr, head of the players association, with Commissioner Bud Selig (left), testifies before the Senate committee. ProductName Chronicle Donald Fehr, right, executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association, testifies on professional sports drug testing policies before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee on Capitol Hill Wednesday, March 10, 2004. At left is Major League Baseball Commissioner Allan "Bud" Selig. (AP Photo/Dennis Cook) Donald Fehr, head of the players association, with Commissioner Bud Selig (left), testifies before the Senate committee. ProductName Chronicle less

Donald Fehr, right, executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association, testifies on professional sports drug testing policies before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee ... more

Photo: Dennis Cook, AP

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Union head brought riches and criticism

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Donald Fehr announced Monday that he would soon step down as executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association, ending a 26-year run in which he won immense riches for the players but drew increasing criticism for his handling of the sport's involvement with performance-enhancing drugs.

Fehr, who said he would depart no later than the end of March, recommended Michael Weiner, the union's general counsel, to succeed him. Weiner, 47, has effectively run the union's day-to-day operations over the past decade.

Fehr, who turns 61 next month, has often been described as the most powerful man in his sport and for many years was widely depicted as one of the most successful union leaders in the country. In repeated and contentious work stoppages, including the bitter 1994 strike that led to the cancellation of the World Series, Fehr's union always seemed to prevail. Other sports adopted salary caps at the behest of ownership; baseball tried to do so, but ultimately, in the face of fierce union resistance, could not.

Fehr also led the union in negotiations over franchise expansion, interleague play and revenue sharing, all of which helped industry revenues expand at fantastic rates. Under his tenure, the average player salary increased from $289,000 in 1983 to $3.24 million this season.

But Fehr's image was tarnished in recent years as the use of performance-enhancing drugs among players cast a cloud over the sport. The union steadfastly refused to allow mandatory drug testing for players until 2003, citing the players' privacy rights. Even then, the testing was widely depicted as toothless.

It was only in response to pressure from the public and Congress that Fehr and the union began to retreat on the issue. They agreed several times in recent years to reopen the existing collective bargaining agreement - something the union had never done before - and toughen the drug-testing penalties.

"If we, if I had known or understood what the circumstances were a little better, then perhaps we would have moved sooner," Fehr said Monday during a conference call with reporters when asked about the union's evolving stance on performance-enhancing drugs.

Assessments of Fehr's tenure were quickly forthcoming and sought to balance his success at the bargaining table with the issue of drugs.

"The union was unquestionably the most long-lasting and biggest impediment to a timely imposition of a testing regime," said George Will, a columnist for the Washington Post who has often written about baseball. "Don's a big figure in the last quarter-century of the union, and his legacy has many facets, and that will be one of them."

Bob Costas, a longtime baseball announcer, said that Fehr was a "brilliant negotiator" who "won more battles than he lost and did incredibly powerful things for players and the game."

"But," Costas added, "when it came to steroids, he and the union were 100 percent wrong."

A Kansas City A's fan while growing up in the suburb of Prairie Village, Kan., Fehr graduated from Indiana University and Missouri-Kansas City Law School. His work in baseball began in 1976, soon after an arbitrator invalidated the reserve clause that tied players in perpetuity to their teams. Fehr was elected the executive director in December 1983.

After United States District Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor sided with the union in early 1995 and essentially removed the salary-cap structure that owners had implemented months earlier, the players had an aura of power that lasted the rest of the decade.

A proposed contraction of teams, luxury taxes, changes to the amateur draft and more all became subject to union approval.

What they're saying

"As a leader he was great. I was listening to the radio today and people were saying they were happy that Don was stepping down, just radio personalities, and you know what? I liken it to a guy on another team when you're playing against him you might not like. But when you're playing on the same team, you like him."

- Rich Aurilia, Giants player and member of union's executive committee

"People are going to remember steroid testing, but he's done so much more than that from the early '80s when he took over. If you look at the entire body of work, I think it's so much more than the steroid testing. But with today's media, that's all everyone's going to remember."

Fehr was a "brilliant negotiator" who "won more battles than he lost and did incredibly powerful things for players and the game. But when it came to steroids, he and the union were 100 percent wrong."

- Broadcaster Bob Costas

"Don has represented his constituency with passion, loyalty and great diligence. Although we have had our differences, I have always respected his role."